As Valantis took his leave and started walking to the study room, Evangeline and Anastasia were quick to follow him. Well, not Evangeline so much as she was still limping and attempting to not hurt her ankle anymore than she had to.

However, it became apparent that Anastasia wanted to stay behind and keep pace with Evangeline, and she ended up slowing down her pace, drastically. Evangeline looked to Anastasia and lifted an eyebrow in confusion,

“Aren’t you going to the study room? No need to wait up for me. I’ll get there … eventually.” Evangeline couldn’t help but let a little chuckle at her statement. She sounded so pathetic, so weak. And she hated it with every fiber in her body. 

“Well, who said we needed to get there right away? Plus, I hardly have a second to talk with you these days since your injury as well as the — engagement. I can’t believe it is happening. And so quickly, might I add!” 

“Perhaps it is. I never quite caught onto the tail end of this marriage situation,” pondered Evangeline as the two made their way between the book cases. The farther they got into the library, the most isolated it became. Yet, at the same time, it was almost comforting. Like a cozy home where no one were to interrupt the two. “When are you two to be officially married anyway? I know there is an engagement in progress, but Prince Philip hasn’t even technically proposed!” 

“No he hasn’t. I have barely seen him either since the night of the ball, talk about rude. I get that things are starting to get in motion, but I would think that maybe, just maybe, my fiancé would like to see me at least once after out official engagemnt,” Anastasia pulled a piece of hair out of her eyes in frustration, messing up her hairsprayed bangs. She then let out a huff as the two came upon an open area with tables set about sparsely. Before approaching Valantis, as he had already laid out the material on a couple tables for the day’s lesson, Anastasia put out her final thoughts, “and I don’t know what’s to even happen after the marriage! Would he want kids? Oh gods, Eva I don’t want kids. I don’t know if I even want to —”

A pause was held as Anastasia came to a slow halt, attempting to keep out of Valantis’s sight. Evangeline was confused, to say the least. Was Anastasia talking about – sex? Surely not. Perhaps she was mentioning something else, but the way Anastasia’s eyes glazed over and her irises dampened into an ocean blue rather than sky blue, something was troubling her. And Evangeline simply couldn’t decipher what.

By the time Anastasia had opened her mouth, the two’s attention were drawn away from someone clearing their throat. Anastasia turned around and Evangeline looked up as the conversation soon fizzled away. Alas, Evangeline was left wondering what Anastasia would have said. 

“You two ladies are certainly having a good conversation without me in it. While I would love to hear about the engagement, I am afraid we need to drive into the fascinating world of, “ Valantis let out a fake smile while laughing, mocking the two young women, “Ferrin plant based medications and how they have the ability to heal internal injuries.”

“Oh,” Evangeline said, not expecting the topic to be something … interesting. She thought Anastasia was studying history and how many wars Collosicus and Ambrose have had in the last century. The answer to that was a lot. 

It was common knowledge that the two kingdoms weren’t the best of friends, and with maintaining a lot of different plants that can aid both kingdoms, as well as trade routes that are drastically longer with having to go around the territories, it would make sense to attempt to make peace. 

“We are learning about plants? I thought it would be something proper and more … “

“Boring? I don’t disagree. While we would typically go over a more historical of things, I think it would be beneficial to learn about the common plants within Ambrose and how you can use these plants to your advantage if you were to be in a pinch.”

Evangeline and Anastasia looked at each other, both of them having a look of curisoirty. Evangeline assumed Anastasia was simply pleased to not have to deal with history, and Evangeline, herself, was intrigued with the topic. It was something she felt familiar with, and she also felt the idea would be very beneficial. 

The two walked over to the largest table that was right near the window that led outside. Evangeline caught a glimpse outside and admired the way the sun was shining with a well renown happiness, not a single negative idea could tossed about in its pleasant rays. 

“Here we have a Ferrin berry. They are quite small and have a purple color. However, if you look closely, there is a metallic tint to it. Here,” Evangeline and Anastaisa stood up ignoring the chairs to the table. It would likely be a pain in the rear to have to stand up and sit down while moving constantly from table to table. 

Valantis gave both of the girls one of the Ferrin berries and Evangeline held the berry upwards, catching it in the glimpse of a sunlight ray. It glowed and within a moment, she could see not only the purple but the metallic coating as well. 

“Ferrin berries are nearly identical to Fatalis berries, and if you consume a single Fatalis berry, you die a slow, agonizing death. Well, not necessiarly slow, but it would take twelve hours for someone to die, give or take varrying on body weight, height size, and species. After consuming, the person would start to feel lightheaded and develop a sore throat. Then would come chills and hot flashes. The person would start to sweat uncontrollably, to the point where they would start to become dehydrated. They would still feel hot and cold, so there would be no middle ground.”

“Gods this sounds absoultely horrific,” Evangeline sounded out as she put the berry in her hand onto the table, her appetite starting to fade away as she started to paint a scenario in her head of someone ingesting the treacherous berry.

“Oh, it gets better. Three hours in the person would start to gain debilitating pains in their stomach and their muscles would be contracting uncontrollably, leading to horrid cramps in their limbs. Most people, at this point, would start begging for death. The brain would start swelling, and the pressure in the person’s head would start to grow, leading to life threatening seizures.”

Valantis froze for a second, Evangeline watched his eyes move from Anastasia to herself than back to the table where he looked at a bowl filled with Ferrin berries in it. There was a masher next to it as well as a plate. 

“This goes on for hours, and then the most horrifying part is that the blood vessels rupture. There is internal bleeding, but then it turns external. The person starts to bleed from every open hole in their body; it is uncontrollable. They die from either blood loss or the swelling in their brain. If someone were to encounter this berry and ingest it, knowing that death was inment, it would be best to ingest more than one to make the death quicker. Overall, the story of this is to look closely at what you are eating in the wild.”

“I don’t plan on eating any berries in the wild anyway, Valantis.” Evangeline mocked, rolling her eyes in the process. She was joking, of course she was. Evangeline knew that there would likely be a time where she would need to act upon survival instincts, and if she knew what plants were safe to ingest and what weren’t, it could potentially save her life … or end it. 

Valantis let out a stiff laugh before reaching for the masher, picking it up delicately. 

“I am going to prepare a small mixture right here. You will only need Ferrin berries. However, there is another way to tell the difference between Ferrin and Fatalis, and this is if you are able to mash them up to see the colors.” 

Evangeline and Anastasia watching intently as Valantis started to mash the berries that were in the stone bowl. Valantis was sure to get all the berries, and Evangeline couldn’t help but flinch a little bit. She wasn’t sure why; it was like having chills down her body. Something about the Ferrin berries was throwing her off. 

“If you look here,” Valantis put the masher down and motioned towards the bowl of Ferrin berries or what was left of them. The inside, much to Evangeline’s surprise, was a vibrant purple. Not to mention, it seemed to have a hint of sparkles in there, as if it were glowing with radiance of some sort. It intrigued Evangeline greatly. “Not only is the mash purple, but the secret is that Ferrin berries have been tainted with magic. Now we aren’t sure why, as it appears they have been tainted rather recently. I would say within the past two years is when people started to notice the properties of Ferrin berries. Not only is it edible, but it now posses the ability to heal internal and external injuries slowly.”

“Internal injuries…” Evangeline sounded out as her eyes widened with recognition as she looked towards the bowl of mush. She reached her hand out towards the bowl but stopped before she had the chance to touch it. Evangeline then looked towards Valantis, her green eyes sparkled with energy, “do you think it can possibly heal my ankle quicker?”

“I suppose that is a possibility.” Valantis pondered to Evangeline. Evangeline and Anastasia then looked at each other before turning their attention back to Valantis. 

It was as if there was a possible solution that would have longed Evangeline to the point where she would have been unable to do the job she was meant to do. Was this a possible solution?

“However,” Valantis said, hesitance brimming in his voice. “I don’t know if it will be successful. When I mean internal injuries, I suggest bleeding and organ damage. I am unsure if that includes bones. But nevertheless, there is no harm in trying. We have some Ferrin berries stocked from the recent emergence of the Ambrose royalty within Collosicus. Perhaps I can make contact and get my hands on a few dosages of Ferrin berries.”

“I would rather take a chance than be stuck in this damned boot for however long.”

Evangeline let out a small breath, partly full of excitement and the other part full of uncertainty. Surely this was an opportunity that she would approach in caution, but, on the other hand, if this were to speed up the process of her ankle healing, then this was a chance she had to take.